John b



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. B. MOONEY.

Steamboat Staging.

No. 233,160. Patemted Oct. 12,1880.

Invent or fittest 0/ /3. 0%

N. PEI'ERs, PHOTO-LITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D c

2 Sheets--Sheet 2. J. B. MOONEY. Steamboat Staging. No. 233,160. Patented Oct. 12,1880.

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Uivrren STATES PATENT Erica,

JOHN B. MOONEY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES L. HAVEN,

- OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM BOAT-STAGING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,160, dated October 12, 1880.

Application filed July 1, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. MOONEY, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steamboat-stagings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to render the heavy stagin gs or platforms of steamboats and all other water-craft capable of being handled with the utmost facility, and this result is accomplished in the following manner: I 0011- struct two stagings of practically the same weight and attach them to the depending ends of a rope or chain, or other flexible connection, and then combine this rope with a system of sheaves and a pair of laterally-swingin g booms, so as to cause one of said stagin gs to counterbalance the other one. By this arrangement either the larboard or starboard 2o staging can be launched ashore or drawn back upon the deck of the vessel by a few men, as hereinafter more fully explained.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a vessel provided with my improvements,thestagings being shown in position on deck and a portion of the suspensionrope being broken away. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modification of the invention, one of the stagings being shown launched 0 ashore.

Arepresents a portion of the deck of a steamboat or other water-craft, and B 0 are two stout masts projecting vertically therefrom. Mast B has applied to it, by a suitable coup- 5 ling, D, the boom E, which is supported at any desired inclination by a guy, F, the latter being rove through a sheave, G, near the top of said mast, and then secured at H to a staple or other attachment. Mast O is pro- 0 vided with a precisely similar arrangement of coupling, 1, boom J, guy K, sheave L, and staple or other attachment, M. Booms E J are provided, respectively, near their free ends, with sheaves N and O, to receive a rope or 4 5 chain or other flexible support, P, capable of sustaining the heavy stagings. This rope is rove through two other sheaves, R and S, which are preferably secured near the feet of their respective booms E and J, or said rope may be passed through a single sheave located between the booms or masts. Or the sheaves R S maybe situated near the top of the masts,

as seen in Fig. 2, in which event said masts should be united with a tie, X. Attached to the depending ends of this rope are two stirrups, T U, that support, respectively, the stagings V andW; but, if preferred, rope or chain slings may be substituted for these stirrups, the upper portions of said slings being distended with bars or stretchers, so as to afford 6o ample clearance for passengers and the crew. These stagin gs, which may be of any approved size and shape, are practically of the same weight, and the stirrups T U are attached to them in such a manner as to cause the after ends of said stagings to rest upon the deck A; or said stagings may be swung around so as to present their heavy ends toward the bow of vessel A.

My counterbalanced stagings are operated in the following manner: The stagings V W, when in their normal positions, as seen in Fig,

1, are about in line with their respective masts B O, and in advance of the same, the after or heavier ends of said stagings resting upon the deck A. If,now,it should be desired to launch ashore the stagingV, the following movements are necessary: The boom E is first swung around to the larboard and carries the staging V with it, the after or heavy end of the latter resting upon the deck. The starboard staging W is then lifted by hand or by pulling on its rope P', or 011 another rope attached to the stirrup U, which latter rope should pass through a separate sheave, so as to cause a corresponding descent of staging V, and thereby land the outer end of the same on the wharf or bank, as seen in Fig. 2. To draw in this larboard staging V it is only necessary to depress the starboard staging W to its originalposition, so as to elevate the outer end of the one V; or this result can be accomplished by pulling up the ropeP,to which said stagingV is attached, and then the other staging, V\,will descend accordingly. Boom E is 5 now swungaround to its original position,thereby disposin gboth of the stagin gs in front of and in line with their respective masts B and O. The other staging, W, is launched ashore and drawn in upon the deck byreversing the abovedescribed operations. If it should be desired to elevate both of said stagings clear of the deck, it can be accomplished by pulling the guys F K soas to turn the booms E J up against the masts B U, when the stagings V W will at once assume the position indicated by dotted lines in Fl". 1.. it will thus be seen that by properly setting said booms the stagings can be carried at any desired angle between a horizontal position on the deck aml a vertical, or nearly vertical, position against the masts. It should be observed, however, that the arrangement ot' sheaves R S (shown in Fig. 1) will allow the stagings to be brought nearer to avertical position than will the elevated location of said sheaves, as seen in Fig. :2. For the more ready shifting of these booms and their heavy stagings it is necessary to employ athreefold purchase, instead of the single guys F and K, which purchase or tackle may be applied to the booms and masts in any convenient way.

As the principal feature of my invention consists in counterbalancing two steamboatstagings by suspending them from a rope or other flexible support, and then passing, said rope through a system ot'sheaves or their equi v alents, in order that the elevation of one staging may cause the descent of the other one, or vice versa, I reserve the right of modifying the details of construction to adapt the apparatus to any special use or peculiar location.

In some cases the masts and booms may be omitted, and the sheaves N O and R S, or their equivalents, such as rings and staples, &c., may be applied to the guards or decks or other parts of the boat or structure. Furthermore, by adapting the sheaves N and O to traverse elevated and curved tracks secured to one of the upper decks of the vessel, and locating the sheaves R and S at the respective centers of said curved tracks orraces, precisely the same movements of the stagings V and W can be efl'ected as though the masts B G and booms E J were employed.

In constructing my apparatus it is preferred to locate the sheaves R and S as near the center of motion of their respective booms E and J as can conveniently be done, in order that the sta gin gs V and W may neither be elevated nor depressed by the action of rope P as said booms swing to the right and left.

I claim as my invention- 1. The counterlmlanced steamboat-stagings V W, suspended, respectively, from stirrups or slings T U, said stirrups being attached to the opposite ends of a rope or chain, P, which rope depends from two laterally-swinging booms E J, ortheirdescribed equivalents, and is rove through a system of sheaves in order that the elevation of one staging may causea corresponding descent of the other, or vice versa, as and for the purpose herein explained.

2. The combination of swinging booms E J, sheaves N 0 It S, flexible support P, and counterbalanced stagings V W, substantially as herein described aml set forth.

3. The combination of masts B O, swinging booms E J, guys or tackles F K, sheaves G L N O R S, flexible support P, and counterbalanced stagings V W, as herein described and set forth.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

JOHN BRUCE MOONEY.

Witnesses:

JAMES I1. LAYMAN, RANKIN D. JONES. 

